


Half Past the Point of No Return

by lookninjas



Series: The One Where They're All Strippers [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-25
Updated: 2012-07-25
Packaged: 2018-02-04 22:05:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1794802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookninjas/pseuds/lookninjas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cooper Anderson watches his brother fall in love on a cool, foggy San Francisco evening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half Past the Point of No Return

**Author's Note:**

> A couple summers ago, with visions of Matt Bomer in an orange thong dancing in my head, I wrote a Glee AU where Cooper and Blaine are both strippers, and Kurt does burlesque. It spiraled rapidly outwards from there. This is the first story. Title comes from "Glitter in the Air" by Pink, because I am nothing if not obvious.

Cooper Anderson watches his brother fall hopelessly in love on a cool, foggy San Francisco evening.  
  
The burlesque festival is Blaine's idea, because that's the kind of idea Blaine has.  Cooper's never given a whole lot of thought to what he does, not really.  The music comes on and he comes out and the girls start screaming when he rips off his clothes, and it's giggling and squealing and nervous hands just brushing up against his skin, and he dances, and they're all happy, and he's happy, and that's kind of the end of it.  Blaine's the one who starts going on and on about art and seduction and empowerment and history and gender when he's a few shots in on what's supposed to be a rowdy night out.  He's the thoughtful one; always has been, always will be.  So, naturally, he's the one who drags them up to San Francisco for the weekend on a search for inspiration, to learn about the roots of stripping and the art of the tease and to explore --   
  
Cooper's not sure what he's supposed to be exploring, really.  But there's girls, lots of them, girls with interesting hair and retro eyeliner who like to dance with giant fans or cover themselves with balloons that they then pop, one by one, so he figures he can just hang out, enjoy the shows, and maybe flirt a little bit while Blaine discovers whatever he's here to discover.    
  
But then a very friendly drag queen starts talking about "boylesque."  And Blaine's eyes light up.  And then there's directions and maps and a bald guy in a tutu who keeps correcting everyone and finally just gives up and drags Blaine off with Cooper hurrying after them.  And somehow that leads to Cooper sitting next to Blaine, in this weird little club that's not bad necessarily but just isn't what he's used to, and there's a boy (okay, he's probably Blaine's age, which technically makes him a man, but still.  Blaine will always be a kid in Cooper's eyes; he doesn't see why this boy should be exempt just because he isn't related) twirling above the audience, sprinkling glitter into everyone's hair and doing all sorts of beautiful, terrifying things while suspended from what appears to be a giant silk scarf.    
  
And Blaine is staring up at the boy with this look on his face, and Cooper realizes that his brother is in love.  Not just with the idea of burlesque, or with the art of the tease, or any of those things that Blaine will later claim to be in love with so he doesn't have to admit the truth.  Blaine is in love with that boy, the one hanging upside-down from a silk scarf while dressed in nothing but a nude bodystocking and some strategically-placed glitter.  
  
The nice thing is, he'll fit in with everyone back home a lot better than Jeremiah ever did.  
  
"Excuse me," he says, turning to the bald guy in the tutu.  "You were saying, earlier, that some of the performers did some teaching, on the side.  I don't suppose --"  
  
"Oh, Porcelain?" the bald guy asks, gesturing up at the boy in the bodystocking, who currently is upside-down with his legs extended sideways in a display of flexibility that would make most of the dancers Cooper knows absolutely weep with envy.  "I mean, if you're interested in aerial work, he doesn't really --"  
  
Cooper briefly imagines his brother up there, ten feet above the audience, suspended from a really big scarf, and has to fight the urge to shudder. Blaine is an adult.  He can do what he likes.  And Cooper will support him no matter what.  But he would, honestly, prefer it if Blaine did things on the ground, or at most on a pole, where there's not so far to plummet.  "It's not for me," he says, quickly, and glances over at Blaine, still staring up at Porcelain, enraptured.  
  
Porcelain looks down for just a second, and he's a little far away so Cooper can't really be sure, but he'd swear Porcelain is looking right at Blaine.  And then he smiles, purses his lips, and blows a kiss, and that's it.  Cooper is hooking these two up if it's the last thing he ever does.  
  
The bald guy looks at Blaine, then up at Porcelain, then back at Cooper, and he grins.  "I'll get you his number," he says, and pats Cooper on the shoulder, and then leaves the table.  
  
Blaine is still staring up at Porcelain when Cooper turns back to him, oblivious to the conversation that just happened right next to him, oblivious to anything that isn't currently spinning above him, beautiful and dizzying and just out of reach.   
  
But not for too much longer.  After all, Cooper's spent his whole life boosting Blaine up just enough so he can get what he wants.  It's pretty much his full-time job -- well, that and stripping.  And he's excellent at both.  
  
He settles back in his chair, and watches Blaine watch Porcelain, and he smiles. 


End file.
